HONG KONG, Aug 17 (Reuters) - China stocks slid on Monday as
investors feared Beijing would let the yuan depreciate further,
despite statements from the central bank last week that it sees
no reason for further declines.

The CSI300 index fell 0.5 percent to 4,054.80
points by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai
Composite Index lost 0.1 percent to 3,960.61 points.

The central bank has been trying to steady the yuan in
recent sessions and soothe global investors' jangled nerves
after it unexpectedly devalued the currency by nearly 2 percent
last Tuesday.

The yuan was little changed on Friday and Monday, but market
watchers believe the currency is likely to remain under downward
pressure as the economy struggles, keeping pressure on shares of
importers and firms with high U.S. dollar debt.

"Investors were not keen to go into market on anticipation
the yuan can depreciate further in the long run," Steven Leung,
director at UOB Kay Hian in Hong Kong said.

Insurers also fell on concerns about potential claims after
massive explosions in the port of Tianjin, Leung added.
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